Safe in My Garden: Reduction of Mainstream Flow and Turbulence by Macroalgal Assemblages and Implications for Refugia of Calcifying Organisms From Ocean Acidification

Macroalgae, with their various morphologies, are ubiquitous throughout the world’s oceans and provide ecosystem services to a multitude of organisms. Water motion is a fundamental physical parameter controlling the mass transfer of dissolved carbon and nutrients to and from the macroalgal surface, but measurements of flow speed and turbulence within and above macroalgal canopies are lacking. This information is becoming increasingly important as macroalgal canopies may act as refugia for calcifying organisms from ocean acidification (OA); and the extent to which they act as refugia is driven by water motion. Here we report on a field campaign to assess the flow speed and turbulence within and above natural macroalgal canopies at two depths (3 and 6 m) and two sites (Ninepin Point and Tinderbox) in Tasmania, Australia in relation to the canopy height and % cover of functional forms. Filamentous groups made up the greatest proportion (75%) at both sites and depth while foliose groups were more prevalent at 3 than at 6 m. Irrespective of background flows, depth or site, flow speeds within the canopies were <0.03 m s–1 – a ∼90% reduction in flow speeds compared to above the canopy. Turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) within the canopies was up to two orders of magnitude lower (<0.008 m2 s–2) than above the canopies, with higher levels of TKE within the canopy at 3 compared to 6 m. The significant damping effect of flow and turbulence by macroalgae highlights the potential of these ecosystems to provide a refugia for vulnerable calcifying species to OA.

Development of micro soap bubble generator for PIV tracer using home stereolithography 3D printer

A micro soap bubble generator for tracers for PIV measurement was developed using a home stereolithography 3D printer. The nozzle has a coaxial triple pipe structure, and an orifice cap is attached to the nozzle head. The inner diameter of the central pipe is 0.7 mm, and the wall thickness of the central pipe is 0.7 mm. From the comparison of the smoke wire visualization result of the flow around the cylinder placed under the mainstream flow velocity of 3 m/s and the PIV measurement result, it was confirmed that the generated micro soap bubbles have good followability to the flow. Generated bubbles’ particle size was estimated to be Φ0.2 mm at the minimum and Φ6.3 mm at the maximum. The most common was Φ0.9 mm ± 0.1 mm, accounting for more than 50% of the total.

Numerical modeling of innovative film cooling hole schemes

A numerical investigation of the film cooling performance on novel film hole schemes is presented using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes analysis. The investigation considers low and high blowing ratios for both flat plate film cooling and the leading edge of a turbine blade. A novel film hole geometry using a circular exit shaped hole is proposed, and the influence of an existing sister holes’ technique is investigated. The results indicate that high film cooling effectiveness is achieved at higher blowing ratios, results of which are even greater when in the presence of discrete sister holes where film cooling effectiveness results reach a plateau. Furthermore, a decrease in the strength of the counter-rotating vortex pairs is evident, which results in more attached coolant to the plate’s surface and a reduction in aerodynamic losses. Modifications are made to the spanwise and streamwise locations of the sister holes around the conventional cylindrical hole geometry. It is found that the spanwise variations have a significant influence on the film cooling effectiveness results, while only minor effects are observed for the streamwise variations. Positioning the sister holes in locations farther from the centerline increases the lateral spreading of the coolant air over the plate’s surface. This result is further verified through the flow structure analysis. Combinations of sister holes are joined with the primary injection hole to produce innovative variant sister shaped single-holes. The jet lift-off is significantly decreased for the downstream and up/downstream configurations of the proposed scheme for the flat plate film cooling. These schemes have shown notable film cooling improvements whereby more lateral distribution of coolant is obtained and less penetration of coolant into the mainstream flow is observed. The performance of the sister shaped single-holes are evaluated at the leading edge of a turbine blade. At the higher blowing ratios, a noticeable improvement in film cooling performance including the effectiveness and the lateral spread of the cooling air jet has been observed for the upstream and up/downstream schemes, in particular on the suction side. It is determined that the mixing of the coolant with the high mainstream flow at the leading edge of the blade is considerably decreased for the upstream and up/downstream configurations and more adhered coolant to the blade’s surface is achieved.

Numerical modeling of innovative film cooling hole schemes

A numerical investigation of the film cooling performance on novel film hole schemes is presented using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes analysis. The investigation considers low and high blowing ratios for both flat plate film cooling and the leading edge of a turbine blade. A novel film hole geometry using a circular exit shaped hole is proposed, and the influence of an existing sister holes’ technique is investigated. The results indicate that high film cooling effectiveness is achieved at higher blowing ratios, results of which are even greater when in the presence of discrete sister holes where film cooling effectiveness results reach a plateau. Furthermore, a decrease in the strength of the counter-rotating vortex pairs is evident, which results in more attached coolant to the plate’s surface and a reduction in aerodynamic losses. Modifications are made to the spanwise and streamwise locations of the sister holes around the conventional cylindrical hole geometry. It is found that the spanwise variations have a significant influence on the film cooling effectiveness results, while only minor effects are observed for the streamwise variations. Positioning the sister holes in locations farther from the centerline increases the lateral spreading of the coolant air over the plate’s surface. This result is further verified through the flow structure analysis. Combinations of sister holes are joined with the primary injection hole to produce innovative variant sister shaped single-holes. The jet lift-off is significantly decreased for the downstream and up/downstream configurations of the proposed scheme for the flat plate film cooling. These schemes have shown notable film cooling improvements whereby more lateral distribution of coolant is obtained and less penetration of coolant into the mainstream flow is observed. The performance of the sister shaped single-holes are evaluated at the leading edge of a turbine blade. At the higher blowing ratios, a noticeable improvement in film cooling performance including the effectiveness and the lateral spread of the cooling air jet has been observed for the upstream and up/downstream schemes, in particular on the suction side. It is determined that the mixing of the coolant with the high mainstream flow at the leading edge of the blade is considerably decreased for the upstream and up/downstream configurations and more adhered coolant to the blade’s surface is achieved.

Numerical Investigations on the Aerodynamic Performance and Endwall Cooling Characteristics of Turbine During Acceleration Process With Lagging Effects

In the process of turbine acceleration, due to the influence of compressor and complex secondary air system, the change process of coolant purge flow is relatively lagging behind that of mainstream flow and rotational speed. The lagging egress of coolant flow influence the aerodynamic performance and endwall cooling effectiveness of turbine acceleration process. The flow field and aerothermal performance of two-stage axial turbines combined with rim seal structures and coolant purge flow lagging effects in the turbine acceleration process was numerically investigated using Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) via SST turbulence model. The effects of lagging coolant purge flow across the rim seal on the turbine aerodynamics and endwall cooling effectiveness were analyzed. The obtained results show that the turbine aerodynamic efficiency obtains the maximum value when the coolant purge flow lagging time equals to half the acceleration time at the same rotational speed after the end of lagging times. The total-to-total efficiency for the second stage is more sensitive to lagging times. The turbine output power is almost un-changed due to combination of additional work capacity and aerodynamic loss with the introduction of coolant. The turbine endwalls have the maximum averaged cooling effectiveness in the turbine acceleration process without consideration of the coolant purge flow lagging time. And endwall cooling effectiveness decreases with the increase of coolant purge flow lagging time at the same rotational speed and mainstream flow conditions. The detailed flow field of two-stage turbine considering interaction between the coolant purge flow and mainstream was also discussed. The present work provides the reference for the match design between the turbine mainstream flow and secondary air flow system.

Upstream Film Cooling on the Contoured Endwall of a Transonic Turbine Vane in an Annular Cascade

The effects of mainstream flow velocity, density ratio (DR), and coolant-to-mainstream mass flow ratio (MFR) on a vane endwall in a transonic, annular cascade were investigated. A blow down facility consisting of five vanes was used. The film cooling effectiveness was measured using binary pressure-sensitive paint (BPSP). The mainstream flow was set using isentropic exit Mach numbers of 0.7 and 0.9. The coolant-to-mainstream density ratio varied from 1.0 to 2.0. The coolant-to- mainstream MFR varied from 0.75% to 1.25%. The endwall was cooled by 18 discrete holes located upstream of the vane passage to provide cooling to the upstream half of the endwall. Due to the curvature of the vane endwall, the upstream holes provided uniform coverage entering the endwall passage. The coverage was effective leading to the throat of the passage, where the downstream holes could provide additional protection. Increasing the coolant flowrate increased the effectiveness provided by the film cooling holes. Increasing the density of the coolant increases the effectiveness on the endwall while enhancing the lateral spread of the coolant. Finally, increasing the velocity of the mainstream while holding the MFR constant also yields increased protection on the endwall. Over the range of flow conditions considered in this study, the binary pressure-sensitive paint proved to be a valuable tool for obtaining detailed pressure and film effectiveness distributions.

A SECTOR-CASCADE TEST RIG FOR MEASUREMENTS OF HEAT TRANSFER IN TURBINE CENTER FRAMES

This paper presents a new 45° sector-cascade test rig specifically designed for fundamental studies of film cooling effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient in Turbine Center Frames (TCFs) and for the development and validation of a measurement technique involving infrared thermography and heating foils. Measurements of heat transfer coefficient in the TCF were taken for two purge-to-mainstream mass flow ratios corresponding to the case of no purge and nominal (to engine operation) purge. The magnitude of the heat transfer coefficients on the hub and strut surfaces was highly influenced by the various flow structures in the passage and by the velocity variation of the mainstream flow due to the “aggressive” design of the TCF. Heat transfer on the surface of the strut was mainly governed by boundary layer behavior (laminar near the leading edge and turbulent for the rest of the strut) augmented by the effect of the secondary flow structures. Measurements of film cooling effectiveness were also taken for the single case of nominal purge. A region of high film cooling effectiveness was observed, extending from the purge cavity exit to about 40% of the passage axial length. In this region, the effectiveness decreased with increasing axial length. On the surface of the struts and fillet radii the film cooling effectiveness was found to be zero. This was attributed to the effect of the horse-shoe vortex which sweeps the purge flow away from the strut surface and dilutes it by continuously entraining hot mainstream flow.

Upstream Film Cooling on the Contoured Endwall of a Transonic Turbine Vane in an Annular Cascade

The effects of mainstream flow velocity, density ratio (DR), and coolant-to-mainstream mass flow ratio (MFR) were investigated on a vane endwall in a transonic, annular cascade. A blow down facility consisting of five vanes was used. The film cooling effectiveness was measured using binary pressure sensitive paint (BPSP). The mainstream flow was set using isentropic exit Mach numbers of 0.7 and 0.9. The coolant-to-mainstream density ratio varied from 1.0 to 2.0. The coolant to mainstream MFR varied from 0.75% to 1.25%. The endwall was cooled by eighteen discrete holes located upstream of the vane passage to provide cooling to the upstream half of the endwall. Due to the curvature of the vane endwall, the upstream holes provided uniform coverage entering the endwall passage. The coverage was effective leading to the throat of the passage, where the downstream holes could provide additional protection. Increasing the coolant flowrate increased the effectiveness provided by the film cooling holes. Increasing the density of the coolant increases the effectiveness on the endwall while enhancing the lateral spread of the coolant. Finally, increasing the velocity of the mainstream while holding the MFR constant also yields increased protection on the endwall. Over the range of flow conditions considered in this study, the binary pressure sensitive paint proved to be a valuable tool for obtaining detailed pressure and film effectiveness distributions.

A Sector-Cascade Test Rig for Measurements of Heat Transfer in Turbine Center Frames

The turbine center frame (TCF) is an inherent component of turbofan aircraft engines and is used for connecting the high-pressure turbine (HPT) to the low-pressure turbine (LPT). Its position immediately downstream of the HPT makes it susceptible to the extremely high temperatures of future engines. Despite this, fundamental knowledge of heat transfer in TCFs and the influencing factors is still missing. This paper presents a new 45° sector-cascade test rig specifically designed for fundamental studies of film cooling effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient in TCFs and for the development and validation of a measurement technique involving infrared thermography and heating foils. Measurements of heat transfer coefficient in the TCF were taken for two purge-to-mainstream mass flow ratios corresponding to the case of no purge and nominal (to engine operation) purge. The magnitude of the heat transfer coefficients on the hub and strut surfaces was highly influenced by the various flow structures in the passage and by the velocity variation of the mainstream flow due to the “aggressive” design of the TCF. Heat transfer on the surface of the strut was mainly governed by boundary layer behavior (laminar near the leading edge and turbulent for the rest of the strut) augmented by the effect of the secondary flow structures. Measurements of film cooling effectiveness were also taken for the single case of nominal purge. A region of high film cooling effectiveness was observed, extending from the purge cavity exit to about 40% of the passage axial length. In this region, the effectiveness decreased with increasing axial length. On the surface of the struts and fillet radii the film cooling effectiveness was found to be zero. This was attributed to the effect of the horse-shoe vortex which sweeps the purge flow away from the strut surface and dilutes it by continuously entraining hot mainstream flow.